One Way to Connect DIRECTLY To Your Fans? *Yawn* Email. Boring Old Email.

There are so many entities that seem to put themselves between you and the folks who read your books: retailers, Amazon (they seem to be a special category all their own), publishers, agents, publicists, media, social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc), communities (Goodreads, Wattpad, etc), just to name some of the most obvious.

In other words, there is:

You, the author –> some other entity –> the reader/audience.

Now, for the most part, these entities add value. Loads of value. Twitter allows you to do things you couldn’t do on your own, as does a publisher, agent, Amazon, Goodreads, etc. And of course, you get to CHOOSE which of these PARTNERS you want to engage with. Because that is what they are, partners in your professional process of having a writing career. That choice is entirely up to you. (yay freedom!)

Today I want to explore one way to forge a DIRECT connection with your audience. One where there is no other entity creating a ruleset as to how and when you can connect with your audience. In other words, a connection where no one is changing an algorithm, or terms, or saying you can do X, as long as you follow our parameters and use our proprietary system.

THE LEAST CROWDED CHANNEL

I remember author Tim Ferriss describing how he spent thousands of dollars for marketing his first book: he pursued the least crowded channel: IN PERSON RELATIONSHIPS (he mentions it here). He spent his money on airfare to try to establish relationships with people he thought could help his book find an audience. He felt that shouting more messages into crowded channels wouldn’t differentiate himself, he knew that sitting face to face with someone is the least crowded channel.

Possible ‘least crowded channels’ for you connecting with someone?

Meeting up for coffee or a meal

A Skype video chat (or Google Hangout)

A phone call

An email thread

Other 1:1 conversations on social channels (@replies on Twitter, for instance)

One thing that Tim mentions in the article above is that the “least crowded channel” can change over time. In 2007, when he did that interview, he described email and phone as the MOST crowded channels. That was just when social media was beginning to happen, I imagine he would now describe social media as most crowded channels today.

But find that people RESIST ‘least crowded channels.’ Why? Because they seem to want “return on investment,” efficiencies, and scale. In other words: they want to go viral. To them, this seems smart and modern, and a phone call seems old fashioned, slow, time consuming, and less like a lottery ticket (which is what they are hoping for when the send a promotional Tweet or buy a Goodreads ad.)

For Tim, back in 2007 he wanted to get on the radar of bloggers, and knew that emailing bloggers meant that he would be 1 of 100 people doing that each day. But meeting them in person at an event, having a conversation, that would differentiate him from the crowd.

I think that ‘least crowded channels’ also bring up a social anxiety that many people like to avoid. I have found that social media works AMAZINGLY WELL for introverts (the topic for another blog post), but that one:one connections can still bring up deep social anxiety that many people have in one way or another.

And for some reason, people seem to get excited about “new and shiny” and ignore the core foundational ways that people communicate and develop trusting relationships. If I wrote a post about a ‘trick’ to get more followers on Goodreads, I would likely get more views and shares on this blog post. And if I mention email, I know a BIG percentage of people will immediately think:

“Ugh, I hate email. I get too much email. No one uses email anymore.”

So they instead focus on Facebook and get angry when Facebook changes an algorithm.

And focus on Goodreads, until it gets bought by Amazon, who they are wary of.

And start pinning things on Pinterest, until they notice that only their food and decorating photos get any attention.

I say this a lot, but the core of developing an audience is:

Communication

Trust

As someone who measures value over the long-term, who measures effectiveness of a tactic not just in hours or days, but YEARS, it seems odd to ignore email as a primary channel by which to communicate to readers, and encourage relationships built on trust.

GIVE YOUR FANS THE OPTION TO ENGAGE MORE DEEPLY

I can’t tell you how many times I have an author try to convince me that there is no one who would want an email from them. I went through this conversation with a (lovely) author I am working with, just the other day. I started by responding with: “Fine. So just send it to me, an email list of one.” Then I explored further, and one by one, we kept discovering more people who really may want to hear from her, who support her and her writing. I won’t pretend it was some huge list, but it was at least 10-20 people to start off with.

The larger point is: give people a CHANCE to opt-in to your life. To hear from you, to support your work, to become your fan.

At this point, the next big objection usually is, “Well, they can follow me on Twitter if they want to connect with me.” But Twitter is sort of a mess, you know? (sorry, did I say that out loud?) A firehose of Tweets, many of which your followers will never see.

Make it obvious how people can TRULY become insiders. A long list of “Find me on Google+, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Goodreads, Instagram” is not a personal invitation. It is a scattershot “I’ll be everywhere” approach – and one that drives most authors nuts.

I have been eating my own dogfood on this one. Do you know where you WON’T find me actively sharing stuff? Google+. And LinkedIn. And Tumblr. And Pinterest. And Goodreads. I mean, I have an account, and I check in on those services and LISTEN to others there, but if you want to really connect with me:

Call my cell phone (I post that number openly on my website)

Email me (ditto)

Sign up for my newsletter

Join a private group I manage on Facebook

Follow me on Instagram

Follow me on Twitter

These are the places I truly show up, and that is likely the PRIORITY in which I show up too.
(I didn’t include links above because I don’t want to be self-promotional here on WriterUnboxed)

Increasingly, we need to help others know how to effectively communicate with us. Because of the nature of my work, I am always researching people online. It is amazing how much we obscure where to find us, and how to best communicate. For so many authors I research, I have no idea which social media channels they are active on, I can’t find their email address, and their websites are incredibly outdated.

This is not meant to be negative, but simply to point out the opportunity of getting the foundation of ‘communication’ and ‘trust’ in order. It also reminds us that it is our responsibility to direct people. From a business perspective (reminder: publishing is a business), it also provides the chance to optimize your marketing funnel. (Oops, did I say an icky marketing term? Sorry.)

I go to so many author sites where the first big thing is “Look at all the photos I pinned! Follow me on Pinterest!” And I wonder, “Is this the marketing funnel? To tell the reader who went to your author website to immediately leave and go to Pinterest?” Because – unless you are amazing at Pinterest – it seemed to be a step that would OBSCURE any chance of communication and trust, not clarify it.

Why not something more direct? And in keeping with the theme of this post: why not an email newsletter?

I think what I am encouraging here is that email should be part of a MIX of communication and trust that works across channels. Yes, I still love Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, Twitter, and I’m NOT implying that now you have to layer on email on top of 1,000 other things. But if you are missing it, then you are missing a core communication channel.

EMAIL SELLS

Email sells. Companies know this. Go ahead, sign up for a Pottery Barn or Home Depot newsletter. I dare you.

Why do they send so much email? Because it works from a business perspective. And perhaps from a branding perspective as well. Do I want you to send out promotional offer after promotional offer? Of course not. But I also don’t want you to ignore something that businesses rely on to generate a connection to their core audience, and one that supports the business side of publishing.

And I’m nervous to even bring this up, but: why abdicate ALL sales power to Amazon? Why not have SOME say in the sales process of your books? Of knowing who some of your core readers are by name, and actually having a way to communicate with them?

MY CAREER WAS SHAPED BY EMAIL

In 2005, while working within a big media company, I asked my boss if I could create an internal newsletter about ‘digital publishing,’ and then sent it to 9 colleagues. That first email is what I attribute to so much of what has happened in my career in the past 9 years.

I have sent out a newsletter every single week since then. That’s close to 500 emails so far. Slowly, I expanded how many people received the newsletter, then created a blog to go along with it, made the email list public (instead of just intra-company), and then extended onto social media when that became a thing.

There are still people on the list from the earliest of days – including folks who I have never met in person, who have heard from me week after week for years.

When I ventured out on my own starting a company, things went well right away – and I attribute a lot of this to my email list. And… do you know how big my list is after nearly a DECADE OF weekly sends? Well, not that big. Seriously.

This is one of the ‘big secrets’ I have found: you don’t need a huge following in order to succeed. This goes right back to Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans concept. You don’t need an enormous number of fans in order to make your creative endeavor sustainable as a career.

So if you are worried about not being able to attract tens of thousands of subscribers, please don’t let that stop you. I mean, wouldn’t it be INCREDIBLE if 40 readers looked forward to hearing from you each week? And that, if each month, 3 more were added to that number? If, one by one, people who love your writing and worldview opted-in to thoughtful conversations with you?

GETTING STARTED

You don’t need some big complex strategy here to get started. Sign up for an account with Mailchimp or Aweber and go through their setup tutorials. Watch some videos on YouTube about each service if you want even more help.

Don’t worry about who will subscribe, just put the sign up box on your website, and mildly let people know this is a way they can connect with you.

Send a weekly email. Make it seem more like a letter from you to them (a letter from ONE person to another single person) instead of some big spammy promotional thing.

For the content: explore why you write, what inspires you, other authors your are enthusiastic about. Share your thoughts as someone who obsesses about stories, characters, and situations.

Repeat.

In the comments below, let me know:If you DON’T have an email newsletter: what is your biggest resistance to starting one?
If you DO have an email newsletter: what is your biggest challenge with it?

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers share their stories and connect with readers. He has helped hundreds of authors via online courses, events, consulting, and workshops, and worked with amazing publishing houses and organizations who support writers such as Random House, Workman Publishing, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, and many others.

Comments

Dan is someone who truly cakewalks the cakewalk (see “Meal of the Week”).

I send an email newsletter every 2 weeks (is that bi-weeky?). Dan ALWAYS emails me back right away. I know that he receives hundreds of newsletters from alumni, clients, friends, colleagues, etc. But he’s correct that email makes you feel like a person and not just a follower. Thanks Dan!

I’m really gun-shy with this idea, Dan, but you do pitch it well and it sounds inviting. Except … my biggest resistance is that I personally dislike newsletters by email most of the time and have canceled so many as they end up being more like junk and self-promotion in my mail box. In fiction, my category, there’s pretty much the same old stuff out there going round and round. I write a weekly short story (horror) blog and that takes enough of my time so I wouldn’t want to add more “communication” work to my schedule. Frankly, I’m trying to reduce that and spend more time writing my next book. Gosh how does an avid writer have weekly time for thoughtful conversations with readers on a one-to-one basis? I can do it at a book signing or an author event, but that’s a one time effort. Weekly conversations in my Inbox is a scary commitment.

Paula,
You raise a number of REALLY good points. My gut is that you could use some of the writing (eg: the blog) that you are doing already for a newsletter. And also: you can start SMALL. Monthly. Bi-weekly. Etc.

I think a lot of this is about being able to recreate the value that you experience at those in-person events, but in a way that feels natural and as a part of a weekly routine. And by this, I don’t mean “SOUL CRUSHING ROUTINE,” I mean as natural as you would feel appreciating the local foliage while walking your dog.

It’s funny how everything old is new again. In researching best practices for independent publishing, over and over successful authors were saying that email subscribers were the most important tool they had for communicating directly to their readers.

It is ridiculously easy to start an email newsletter; signups can happen with a link on the website or back mattter in a book. Our favorite is Mad Mimi, and the basic service is free.

I’ve promised subscribers that their information won’t be sold and they won’t be spammed.

Thanks for the ideas about newsletter content, Dan. It’s given me food for thought.

Dan–
Thank you for your detailed post. I’m no introvert, but I do find it distasteful to think in terms of creating trust for the purpose of improving “return on investment.” Even so, I am willing to (try to) overcome a personal dislike for self-promotion and follow your advice. BUT: I am at a loss as to how to channel traffic to my website. Without solving that problem, other efforts seem futile.

Barry,
I don’t want to put words in Dan’s mouth, but I’m sure he would agree that the email newsletters should offer something of value on a consistent basis and not just say, Buy my Book, each time. I subscribe to several and have received enormously helpful advice and, in some cases, I regret I have not bought the author’s books. If a newsletter is helpful, I am more inclined to support that author.

Great stuff, Dan. I agree authors need an integrated mix of communications channels and strategies to reach readers. I have to fess up that I don’t have a newsletter, in spite of all the advice from the gurus that an email subscription newsletter is the best way to build a solid list of marketing contacts. For me, it comes down to how I need to spend my limited time. I have a busy day job and I have come to the conclusion that my writing must come first, and my blog must come second. I only follow a few writing blogs. WU is my favorite. I am an active book reviewer on Goodreads and Amazon. At this point in my writing career, my first priority is building up a credible body of work. Thanks for this post. I always look forward to your posts on marketing strategies.

Thank you, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness with which you are already analyzing your priorities and time. My gut is that since you do a blog and reviews already, you could use those as the foundation of a newsletter.

Thanks for today’s tidbit. I started a mailchimp account and will be reordering my “where to find me” page so email is placed first. I also found your linked article about the importance of a thousand true fan extremely insightful.

I love email. Of all the ways I interact with other writers it’s my favorite because its so direct. Up til now I haven’t used a newsletter because I am not sure what I’d write in it. I want to be sure it is something people will want to read. However, now that I have a mailchimp account and have saved the link to tutorials, I have set an inevitable ball in motion.

Ina,
To me, “subscribe to my blog” is VERY different. You don’t want to have to update a public blog everytime you want to reach readers. And, what if in 2 years, you stop blogging, but still want to reach this audience. A proper email system is much more flexible.

I’ve heard similar things about “kids today,” and honestly, I don’t buy it. I have interns in their 20s and guess what: we communicate via email.

Likewise – I’m not suggesting that anyone go ALL IN on email. Just to respect it as a potential channel.
Thanks!
-Dan

I started with a fitness blog for my clients a number of years ago. The funny thing is, as I and my blog have morphed, I have kept most of my list. Occasionally I still write about diet or exercise if I can fit it into my new theme, the 7 deadly sins, but more often it’s something else.

I guess my point is, I agree with you Dan, people want to connect with people they enjoy. Email newsletters are only spam if I don’t want one and why would I opt in if I don’t want it?

I don’t always read all of everyone’s installments, but when I have time I like catching up with people who’ve started to feel like friends.

Finally, I have sold more books from my blog than any other single place on line and I have been dismal about marketing.

I’m 100% on board with email. I just launched a writing blog in the spring. It’s still a struggle to get people to leave comments on my posts, but cannot BELIEVE what they’ll share with me via email. I’m truly building relationships with these people, and I love it. When people tell me email is dead, I ask, “They WHY do you have to have an email address to join ANYTHING: Facebook, Writer Unboxed, Pottery Barn?!”

“There are so many entities that seem to put themselves between you and the folks who read your books…”

And then there are sites like WU (hallelujah) that allow you, the writer, to connect directly with your readers.

Great reminder on the value of direct communication, using whatever channel we are comfortable with. (Oh for a good old cup of tea.) The speed at which the world moves is amazing. Within a generation and a half that which was passe (email) has become new again.

Good post. I do have a newsletter through eWeber. It costs but looks more professional than the chimp. I’ve been very successful using e-newsletters and e-mail campaigns through other marketing ventures (that keep the bills paid so I can write), so I know they work. The key is to build confidence. Give the readers something they want. My partner and I are about to start a serial novel via the newsletter. This is just to attract subscribers and market our books to them. The series, of course, will be bundled and sold later. Nothing is wasted. My biggest pet peeve, by the way, are the authors who absolutely bomb a Twitter hashtag with their marketing. The funny thing is they’re marketing their fiction to…other writers! Can we be just an eensy bit more professional, please? Thanks for the post!

Thanks for this, Dan, and for sharing your own experience over time with sending out an email newsletter…it’s very helpful! I’ve done a good bit of thinking and learning about platform, and I keep running into the chorus of “oh you MUST blog, you MUST tweet!” I’ve been reluctant to start a blog, because I’d rather focus on the fiction right now, and I really believe it’s best to make the commitment to a blog and its subject if I’m going to do that. And I just don’t have that pull (to a subject, to a schedule) yet.

An e-newsletter feels different, like talking to a smaller group of people that could grow, gradually…which appeals to my type of introvert nature. I love the idea of letting people opt IN versus broadcasting a message for all to hear/see and hoping it lands with the right audience, especially as in the long run I really do want to connect with readers as well as fellow writers. We all encounter more information than we can process, on a daily basis, and for me, finding ways to cut back on the overwhelm–for myself and for others–makes so much sense.

My website development is behind schedule (for family/life reasons), but the 1:1 concept will really help when I get back to work on setting things up. :-)

It’s funny, a friend just asked me the other day if I had a mailing list for my comedy group, and it’s one of those things I’d never even considered precisely because it seems like an outdated form of communication (which is strange, considering part of my day job involves managing email lists for trade shows.) Reading through this, though, I definitely get a good sense of how it can be beneficial to a writer. I’m interested to get started, but had a few questions if you can lend some knowledge.

1. In addition to writing, I’m also a filmmaker and comedian. Rather than have three lists to balance at once (which would probably have some decent crossover), is there any problem with using the same list for all three? The main content would probably be focused on writing (a combination of fiction & screenwriting), but I’d like to still put a blurb in there about upcoming shows.

2. How soon is too soon to start cultivating an email list? My novel is still a work in progress that I don’t anticipate being finished until next year. However, I have a feature film that I wrote and directed coming out in a few months, as well as a sketch show going up for a run at a Chicago theatre next month. Should I wait until I have a novel ready for release, or go ahead and get started now since I have other projects in the pipeline? I think I have the same hesitation as the authors in your example: Who would want an email from me before I’m a SOMEBODY, you know?

3. Any more suggestions for types of content for an email newsletter? I’d probably be starting out at monthly or bi-monthly, and I want something that feels personal so people feel comfortable responding to me with questions/comments, but is also useful to the reader so they look forward to the newsletter when it arrives. I just signed up for your newsletter, so I should be seeing some examples in action whenever the next one comes out.

Brian,
Thank you! I would encourage you to start ONE list to focus your own efforts, as well as focusing your audiences. I hear a similar question when I work with writers on blogging – and would rather see you create one AMAZING newsletter, and then expand, then to hobble yourself by juggling too much at once.

Start now. Let people add themselves to it one by one, and then when you find yourself in an opportunity to tell someone how to stay connected w/ you and your work, it is 100% ready for you. You never know when this will happen, so it’s nice have it just be there.

I agree, that the tone or voice of the email should be personal, and that it does help if people also have a sense of usefulness where appropriate. Thanks for signing up for my newsletter!
-Dan

Late to the party, but if I may, I’d like to suggest that Brian might want to set up separate lists, then send the same newsletter to each: It allows the writer to track who is most interested in what kind of content. I have three lists, one for signups from my website, blog and personal appearances, one for signups obtained at two events conducted by members of a large group blog I’m part of, and one for signups from that blog, which I import from that blog to my newsletter. Mail Chimp makes it easy to “replicate” and send the same newsletter to all three lists. The open rates and click-thru rates differ, sometimes quite a bit. That metric helped the members of the blog decide not to repeat the prior events. It also helped me see that my personal contacts and online signups really did make a difference, and to focus a little more attention on growing that list.

Dan, great post and one which has my mind closing in on my first newsletter. I’ve been toying with the idea of a newsletter for some time, but every article I read indicated it was a MUST to have something to “give away” to get your subscribers. But I do believe you have stated “Don’t worry about who will subscribe, just put the sign up box on your website, and mildly let people know this is a way they can connect with you.” This implies just give them another way to connect, to talk, to learn, etc.

So, I’m getting the my subscription box already for the blog and we’ll see what happens. I’m not yet ready to publish my book, maybe in 9 months or so, and I think this may be perfect timing. I also like the idea of writing something akin to a letter, an art we are losing in our society today. Now I’m getting excited! Gotta go and get my first attempt to at getting subscribers ready.

Sherrey,
Yes, giving something away can be a very effective tactic for encouraging subscriptions. I just helped a client create a guide for exactly this purpose – but I suppose I didn’t mention that here, because creating such a resource can be a big task unto itself. Sure, some people will say “just give away a short story” or “give away a lost chapter,” but I would want to really spend time considering “value” in this context. Thanks!
-Dan

Thanks for the helpful article and the motivation to start doing a newsletter. Do you think we lose some of the benefit if we don’t do the newsletter weekly? Some of the authors from whom I receive newsletters do one monthly – or even quarterly.

Maryann,
Start where you are comfortable – you can always increase frequency. I suppose I like weekly for a number of reasons – primary being that you don’t want people to hear from you JUST when you are promoting something. Also, a personal connection can happen weekly, just as it can with a favorite weekly TV show.

Hi, Dan. Great advice all the way around. I still love and use (2) emails all the time. One of your readers mentioned the fear that young adults don’t go this route anymore, but I want to respond by saying that nearly everything is cyclical, so if it isn’t working for you at this moment, it probably will soon! Secondly, as an adult/YA author, it can’t hurt to have parents of teens jumping on board, especially if it’s their dollars buying the books for their kids.

I do have one question in particular. I call myself an author, in that I am a writer of books. However, I am not yet published. I have a literary agent, and have shopped many books to prospective eds, but nothing yet, though I feel positive…and I feel and look and act like an author! ; ) So do I start emailing people now, even though I am not yet published? If so, how can I best use this to my advantage? Certainly I can start with my closest friends, but what do I share with them? My angst? My frustration? My daily writing rituals? Don’t want to bore my fans before I actually have some!

I would likely encourage you to not blog exclusively about the publishing process – but rather – the themes, the topics, the inspiration for your WRITING. Focus it on the same core reasons and motivations that drive your books, your stories, your reason for writing. You want to develop READERS and connections to like-minds, not just people who want “an insiders look” at the publishing process.

My wife is an artist and blogged for years – a huge portion of what she shared on her blog was photos from her daily walks in the woods. She shared the INSPIRATION for her art, not the technical process of priming canvases.

Hi Dan,
I love this advice – especially, “You don’t need a enormous number of fans in order to make your creative endeavor sustainable as a career.”

I do find myself unsubscribing from newsletters or sites that send multiple emails a week but I always read your newsletter. I work for a non-fiction author and she sends out a very short once a week email that people absolutely love. So, one thing I would add for those who hesitate to add to their work load is that the emails do not have to be long tomes to make an impression.